Wolf Hall

A Novel

By: Hilary Mantel

Narrated by: Ben Miles

Length: 25 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

This program is read by Ben Miles, who played Thomas Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction

A New York Times best seller

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of 20 years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall is "a darkly brilliant reimagining of life under Henry VIII.... Magnificent." (The Boston Globe)

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2009 Hilary Mantel (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Brilliant writing and narration

Although I agree, if you don’t have context about the characters, read up first. I’ve read a lot about this period but sometimes had to rewind. That said: well worth a little preparation. It’s fabulous

extraordinary

I love history and historical fiction and this may be the best historical fiction I've ever had the pleasure to listen to!

Great story

I'm a huge fan of this time in history and all things Tudors. This was a great book to imagine all of the inner workings of the court without focusing directly on Henry and his ladies.
My complaint would be in the narration. I think it was done well with the exception of the paragraph breaks... where we as readers can see a wider space between separate story parts to indicate a new situation, the narrator just continues reading as if it's just the next paragraph. Without that pause it's quite confusing at times trying to figure out what is going on.
Nit picking tho. Worth a credit

The rise of Thomas Cromwell

Hilary Mantel immerses us in the shifting dynamics of Tudor politics; the desires of Henry VIII, the stranglehold of the clergy on the commoners and the blind ambition of Thomas Cromwell. This is not simply a novel, it is a work of art in the form of a time machine.

intriguing

I've seen the PB S special on Wolf Hall and wanted to listen to the book for myself the performance of the reader was outstanding really brought you in to the 1500s you can imagine the setting the smells by the author's description and the readers performance

Amazing narration and plot!

Ben Miles is superb and perfect for this amazing tale! I was captivated and very positively impressed.

Amazing voice actor

Very in-depth portrayal of this time period with a fascinating focus on Cromwell. I truly liked the man even though many things he’s known for were controversial. Mantel is a masterful story teller/composer.

Thomas Cromwell addiction

I feel I grew to know Thomas Cromwell well through this book. At least the character presented as TC. I spent a lot of time invested in listening, but it was worth it. I grieved through much of the book, knowing what the final end would be. I had grown very fond of TC although there were many things about his character that I disagreed with, He was a redeemable character. His end is heartbreaking due to the psychotic nature of King Henry VIII. I know much of the story was speculative, but what a fascinating glimpse into history nonetheless.

Spectacular Narration, Some Confusing Points

Overall, "Wolf Hall" is a most excellent, entertaining read. Ben Miles's narration is spot on. Narrating this is no small feat. He does all the accents well, and translates the character's moods. Namely, he makes the reader see Anne Boelyn, one character he finds most distasteful. One thing about this book is it is hard to follow. The the third first person narrative is complicated, and one never, or rather has to decipher who is often being discussed or doing the discussing. As this is Thomas Cromwell's story, it is still confusing. And too, the flashbacks from early in his life to the present day aren't always clear. But this aside, the reader just has to remember this is Cromwell's story, as this is not normal for a book on the Tudor dynasty. Hilary Mantel truly did a masterful job of making this unique in that way. All in all, this is a masterpiece.

One of the best novels I’ve encountered

The Audible performance is superb. This was such a stunning “read”. Watching the television adaptation, which is much condensed, was very helpful for orienting to what is a very long story with very many characters, BTW.